This invention relates to fuel injectors in general, and more particularly to a fuel injector assembly which includes a modified needle tip having a ball seat with multiple tip geometry for fuel mixing for maximizing fuel combustion.
In the case of internal combustion engines having fuel injection systems, fuel injectors are conventionally used to provide a precise amount of fuel needed for combustion. The fuel injector is required to deliver the precise amount of fuel per injection pulse and maintain this accuracy over the life of the injector. In order to optimize the combustion of fuel, certain strategies are required in the design of fuel injectors. These strategies are keyed to the delivery of fuel into the intake manifold of the internal combustion engine in precise amounts and flow patterns. Conventional fuel injector designs have failed to optimize the combustion of fuel injected into the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of conventional fuel injectors and provides a fuel injector which incorporates a needle with a novel ball seat design and multiple tip geometries, which can provide various flow patterns and improved spray atomization for fuel for improved combustion.
The present invention provides a fuel injector having a fuel inlet, a fuel outlet, and a fuel passageway extending from the fuel inlet to the fuel outlet along a longitudinal axis. The fuel injector includes a body, a cylindrical needle slidingly disposed within the body, the needle having a support portion and a flow control portion, and a seat disposed at the fuel outlet. The fuel injector also includes a ball operatively connected to the support portion of the needle such that the flow control portion protrudes from the ball toward the seat.
The present invention also provides a method of controlling a fuel spray pattern in a fuel injector, the fuel injector having a body, a cylindrical needle slidingly disposed within the body, the needle having a support portion and a flow control portion, and a seat disposed at the fuel outlet. The method includes the steps of providing a ball operatively connected to the support portion of the needle such that the flow control portion protrudes from the ball toward the seat and providing fuel to the fuel injector.